The present invention relates to a watercraft for traveling along a surface of a body of water.
Watercraft, especially those of the type known as personal watercraft, are commonly powered by internal combustion engines positioned within their hulls. These engines are arranged to drive a water propulsion device for propelling the craft.
As is well known, it is undesirable to allow water to enter the intake system of such an engine, as the water may mix with air within the combustion chamber(s) and cause the engine to stall or stop. Water can remove lubrication from the cylinder wall and water in the crankcase may lead to corrosion of the crankcase""s internal components and water in the piston head to lead to hydrolock. Generally, watercraft have a sealed hull assembly with vent openings that enable ambient air to enter the hull assembly for use by the engine during combustion. Air conduits transport the air from the vent openings to vent hoses. The vent hoses open generally downwardly to direct the air to the bottom of the watercraft so that at least some of the water present in the air will drop out of the air to the bottom of the hull and flow to a bilge for drainage. The air within the hull assembly is drawn through an airbox, which is connected to the engine.
The air is drawn into the interior of the airbox via one or more intake ports. The air passes through the interior and exits via one or more outlet ports that are connected to the engine. The airbox is the final barrier to remove water suspended in the air. Thus, it is preferable that the airbox remove most, if not all, of the water from the air before the air is supplied to the engine.
Consequently, there is a constant need in the art to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of airboxes used with watercraft.
To achieve this need, there is provided a watercraft comprising a hull, an internal combustion engine, a propulsion system, and an air/water separating device. The internal combustion engine has an air intake for receiving at least ambient air to be supplied to the engine. The propulsion system is connected to the engine and is constructed and arranged to propel the watercraft along a surface of a body of water using power from the engine. The air/water separating device comprises a container enclosing an interior space and having an inlet port and an outlet port. The inlet port enables ambient air to enter the container and the outlet port is communicated to the air intake of the engine so as to enable the engine to draw the ambient air into the air intake through the inlet port, the interior of the container and the outlet port. The air/water separating device has structure providing spaced apart generally vertical surfaces defining a plurality of elongated tortuous paths between the inlet and outlet ports. The tortuous paths have one or more angular portions and are positioned and configured such that, as the engine draws the ambient air through the container interior, the ambient air passes through the elongated tortuous paths so that water suspended in the air is separated from the air as the air passes through angular portions of the paths with the separated water flowing downwardly along the surfaces to a bottom of the container by gravity. The container has one or more apertures at the bottom thereof so as to enable the water flowing to the bottom of the container to flow out from the container.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watercraft comprising a hull, an internal combustion engine, a propulsion system, and an air/water separating device. The internal combustion engine has an air intake for receiving at least ambient air to be supplied to the engine. The propulsion system is connected to the engine and is constructed and arranged to propel the watercraft along a surface of a body of water using power from the engine. The air/water separating device comprises a container enclosing an interior space and having an upwardly facing inlet port and an outlet port. The inlet port enables ambient air to enter the container and the outlet port is communicated to the air intake of the engine so as to enable the engine to draw the ambient air through the inlet port, the interior of the container and the outlet port. The air/water separating device includes a shield member disposed in covering relation above the inlet port to prevent water present in the ambient air from travelling directly downwardly into the inlet port.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watercraft comprising a hull, an internal combustion engine, a propulsion system, a conduit, and an air/water separating device. The internal combustion engine has an air intake for receiving at least ambient air to be supplied to the engine. The propulsion system is connected to the engine and is constructed and arranged to propel the watercraft along a surface of a body of water using power from the engine. The conduit is connected at one end thereof to the air intake. The air/water separating device is mounted within the hull in spaced apart relation from the engine. The air/water separating device comprises a container enclosing an interior space. The container has an inlet port enabling ambient air to enter the container and an outlet port connected to the other end of the conduit so as to enable the engine to draw the ambient air into the air intake thereof through the inlet port, the interior of the container, the outlet port, and the conduit.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watercraft comprising a hull, an internal combustion engine, a propulsion system, and an air/water separating device. The internal combustion engine has an air intake for receiving at least ambient air to be supplied to the engine. The propulsion system is connected to the engine and is constructed and arranged to propel the watercraft along a surface of a body of water using power from the engine. The air/water separating device comprises a container enclosing an interior space. The container has an inlet port enabling ambient air to enter the container and an outlet port communicated to the air intake of the engine so as to enable the engine to draw the ambient air through the inlet port, the interior of the container and the outlet port. The container includes at least one wall defining a first chamber and a second chamber within the container. The wall has at least one opening formed therethrough to communicate the first and second chambers such that the ambient air being drawn by the engine flows from the first chamber to the second chamber via the opening. The at least one opening is spaced upwardly from a floor surface of the container and the wall is constructed and arranged to prevent any water that has become separated from the air in the container from flowing along the floor surface between the first and second chambers. The container has one or more apertures at the bottom surface thereof so as to enable the water flowing along the bottom surface to flow out from the container.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watercraft comprising a hull, a fuel tank containing a supply of fuel, an internal combustion engine, a propulsion system, and an air/water separating device. The internal combustion engine is communicated with the fuel tank and has an air intake for receiving at least ambient air to be supplied to the engine from the fuel tank. The propulsion system is connected to the engine and is constructed and arranged to propel the watercraft along a surface of a body of water using power from the engine. The air/water separating device comprises a container enclosing an interior space. The container has an inlet port enabling ambient air to enter the container and an outlet port communicated to the air intake of the engine so as to enable the engine to draw the ambient air through the inlet port, the interior of the container and the outlet port. The fuel tank has a recess formed therein and the container of the air/water separating device is mounted to the fuel tank within the recess.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a watercraft is provided with a hull and an internal combustion engine with an air intake for receiving at least ambient air to be supplied to the engine. The watercraft has a propulsion system connected to the engine and is arranged to propel the watercraft along the surface of a body of water. The watercraft has an air/water separating device with a container enclosing an interior space. The container includes an inlet and an outlet port. The inlet port permits ambient air to enter the container while the outlet port is communicated with the intake of the engine to permit ambient air to be drawn into the engine. The watercraft further includes a heat exchanger connected to a component of the watercraft, the heat exchanger being adapted to draw heat from the electrical component. The heat exchanger is mounted within an opening in the container of the air/water separating device such that the heat exchanger is positioned in the flow of air through the container to dissipate the heat drawn from the component.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of this invention.